Veterans coming home but must not be forgotten

This year's observance of Veterans Day marked the first time in about a decade that the solemn day was held without troops fighting and dying in Iraq. And soon - by the end of next year, according to the president's timetable - our servicemen and women will be returning from Afghanistan, bringing an end to two wars that lasted far too long and cost us far too much in blood and dollars.

But it also means that, over the next few years, hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members will make the transition to civilian life. Some will need help finding a place to stay or a job to do. Others will need intense medical care, perhaps for physical wounds they received in battle or in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In recent years, many veteran officials have expressed concerns - and rightly so - about the country's inability to end the backlog of claims for service-related disabilities facing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The department handles the health-care needs of about 6 million veterans, including tens of thousands in Dutchess and Ulster counties.

The VA has worked to end the backlog of cases, processing more than 1 million disability claims in each of the last three fiscal years. But there is still a backlog of nearly 900,000 claims, which the agency says it hopes to clear by 2015.

In particular, cases of PTSD have been on the rise during these decade-long wars, especially since so many troops had to do multiple deployments. PTSD also has contributed to the high number of military suicides in the last decade, but stress disorder can be treated with medication and therapy.

Military cuts in general must be on the table as federal officials try to lower the massive debt the country faces, and, yes, there should be a "peace dividend" once the Afghanistan war is over. But the country also owes an incredible debt to its military men and women and must ensure the VA has the resources to do the work that needs to be done.

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Veterans coming home but must not be forgotten

This year's observance of Veterans Day marked the first time in about a decade that the solemn day was held without troops fighting and dying in Iraq.